Dominique's Story

Accounting Intern at ZF America in Northville, Michigan

Dominique, from Germany, had the chance to visit some of the most exciting cities in the United States during her internship.

I was looking forward to six months working abroad. The first stop was Dallas, Texas. I visited a friend of mine on a typical western ranch. Like everybody knows, Texas is famous for its cowboy lifestyle and a lot of ranches. I was definitely impressed of the landscape. There are huge areas of paddocks and riding facilities. I recommend everyone travelling to Texas! It’s quite different to the other states of America because of its unique lifestyle and great landscape.

In Dallas, on August, 29th 2014, it was time to say goodbye to the last person I knew from my hometown. My heart was bumping and then I realized that I will stay in the US for the next six months. Arriving at my new home I had three days off before starting to work. I got to know more about my living place and met other interns of ZF North America, Inc.

On the first day of work I had to do a lot of paperwork, then got an introduction of my supervisor. If I didn’t have an idea how to go on, all team members were very nice and helpful. On the other hand they also asked me to translate some sentences into English and we talked about differences between the German and American culture.

​During my internship I got assignments from the accounts payable, accounts receivable and treasury department. As everybody can imagine, I gained a huge insight in the Finance Department. I was really pleased for getting my own projects I could work for. That gave me the feeling to be part of the Finance Department.

We also travelled a lot to get to know more about the American culture and the country. Chicago and Toronto including the Niagara Falls were the first trips we did at the beginning of September. We visited the St. Lawrence Market and the Toronto Island Park in Toronto.

My personal highlight on our Chicago trip was the visit on the Willis Tower. It is the highest tower in Chicago and the second highest in the United States. It was great to have a view all over Chicago and taking a picture in the glass boxes for your memories.

November, 27th 2014 was Thanksgiving. We did a traditional turkey with all other interns one week before. The reason for our “Pre-Thanksgiving” was to go far away during the four days off. We used it for a trip to Nashville. I visited the Johnny Cash Museum and we did a stop at the Jim Beam distillery.

As I wrote this report, I have started to count the days backward. Unfortunately, three months are left. I’m looking forward to celebrate the Christmas days and New Year’s Eve with a friend of mine in New York and will enjoy the last three months!

I recommend everyone to stay abroad for a longer time! You will gather a lot of experiences and meet new traditions and cultures! A time full of new experiences and memorable impressions!